Indecision- Ling X Lan Fan
by 12 Gardens
Summary: Lan Fan's at a crossroads, yet again. It seems to be happening more often than necessary. And this tiny dress from Ling isn't helping matters at all!


Indecision- Ling Yao X Lan Fan

Lan Fan was frustrated, to say the least. She stood deftly in between two impossible things to choose from: her pride, and her love and respect. She was at loss of what to do, and the reflection of her unfamiliarly exposed self, staring anxiously back at her, was certainly not helping.

Lan Fan's weary eyes couldn't help but wander helplessly down her bare arms and legs, the vibrant flower clipped in her unusually loose hair.

_This_ was what the Young Lord wanted her to wear?

She could feel the heat hastily prickling up her neck and face at the thought of the Emperor. Her frustration turned gradually to a well-known lust for the man she knew she could never have. She shifted her weight uncomfortably in the itchy dress, which was riding up her already bare legs, only to reveal more of what wasn't to be seen on a girl with her rank.

Why does he do this to her?

Lan Fan's pride was beginning to win over respect for her beloved Emperor. This was just flat-out embarrassing. He really expected her to go out in public like this? Lan Fan groaned aloud. She couldn't simply deny his commands, but…

Her slender fingers wrapped tightly around the short, lilac-colored hem of the dress and she pulled down rather violently, in an attempt to cover her thighs. The silky fabric wouldn't have it; it simply rode up higher. She released a muted scream of frustration through closed lips.

She wasn't to face Ling—sorry, the Young Lord—like this. It disrespected her family's duty of serving him loyally and formally.

_But wouldn't it be disrespecting _him _if she disobeyed his orders?_

Lan Fan suddenly stood up straighter in her spot planted in front of the treacherous mirror. She was _Lan Fan,_ closest protector and most trusted guard to the Emperor of Xing. She would not be defeated by a _dress._

She began mulling over the pros and cons of each way the situation could play out. If she remained wearing the hideously revealing dress, she risked her pride crumbling right before the eyes of everyone in Xing at the festival that was to take place, but she would also avoid being questioned by Ling as to why she had flouted his simple orders. However, if she took the dress _off_ (which seemed to be the over-all more appealing option), she preserved her pride and self-respect, although not Ling's.

This brought Lan Fan to the over-all decision that she often found herself making: whose approval did she value more? Ling's, the man she'd loved and protected for longer than she could remember? The man who'd treated her with such affection and care through everything, she could almost believe he loved her back? Or her own?

God, it was all so _frustrating!_ How could he do this to her? He _knew_ how flustered Lan Fan got when she was only unmasked in front of him, let alone wearing anything other than her uniform and armor. Heck, all of Xing knew! Was he _trying _to embarrass her into Oblivion?

Lan Fan took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. She ripped her gaze from the mirror and sat down on the small bed in her quarters, considering her thoughts. Her dark eyes bore into the patterns on the wooden floor, as if she could decode the answer.

Lan Fan's eyes were narrowing and she was beginning to give up on the whole situation and just stay home all night when the door swung open. In the doorway stood a grinning Ling, dressed in casual robes. Lan Fan all but shrieked. She, did, however, yelp and jump up from the bed in a panic in order to get out of the Emperor's squinted gaze. Ling's smile only melted slightly, and he tilted his head curiously. Lan Fan now stood beside her bed, terror and redness filling her usually confident face. Ling chuckled when he realized how flustered Lan Fan was.

"What's wrong, Lan Fan?" He asked innocently. His voice, Lan Fan had noticed, seemed no different with his new authority as the emperor. It was as childish and fun as ever. She could feel her legs trembling and her face heating up even more. She internally refused to acknowledge the fact that just about ever inch of her legs were exposed to Ling.

"N-Nothing, Young Lord!" she cried, her voice an octave higher than usual. "I-I just… I'm not sure…" she took a ragged breath, "I'm not sure that… that the attire you've provided for me… fits… very well," she managed, finishing lamely. Her eyes became glued to the floor, and she inwardly groaned. _How embarrassing._

Although, Ling didn't seem to think how she was acting embarrassing at all. In fact, he seemed to think she was being _cute._ "Nonsense!" he exclaimed, his grin returning to full extent. "You look absolutely stunning."

Lan Fan tore her eyes away from the ground and managed to look up at him. He was smiling in a very welcoming way. She swallowed.

"Young Lord," she finally mumbled, "I… I look ridiculous."

Ling's smile fell for real this time, and he tilted his head once more. Lan Fan's eyes shifted shamefully away from Ling, to the dusty corner of her quarters. He then took a few cautious steps towards her. As he approached, Lan Fan resisted the violent urge telling her to run away, run away! Suddenly, before she knew what was happening, a warm, but calloused finer was placed just under her chin in a feather-light touch, sending electric sparks all the way down her spine. Lan Fan gasped slightly as Ling carefully raised her head up so that she would meet his eyes. When she finally did, his squinted ones opened to reveal a startling, narrowed navy blue that sent her into a fit of pleased shivers.

"Lan Fan."

"Y-yes?" she breathed almost silently, too flustered to think about anything at all.

"Why do you refuse to see yourself the way I do?" Ling's suddenly soft, serious voice made Lan Fan's breathing hitch in her throat.

"Young Lord—" she began, but was brutally cut off when a pair of warm lips latched onto hers. Lan Fan's eyes widened in utter terror. The Young Lord was kissing her. _The Emperor of Xing was kissing her!_ And she was kissing back. _She was kissing back._

Too many things, and not enough things were whirling around her head as her eyelids lowered and she allowed her body to surrender to Ling's. Although there were many thoughts about how wrong it was, the rightness of it forced her mind to draw a blank. She was engulfed in Ling's rhythm of kissing, and how perfectly their lips felt together, like two puzzle pieced that had been crucial to completing the picture.

They held the kiss up until the point when their lungs burned, and they remembered that oxygen was a necessity. Ling broke away first, sucking air in silently, and then Lan Fan gasped, satisfying her lungs. The sudden absence of Ling's lips made her feel cold and disappointed. Finally, she straightened up and looked at Ling, whose dark eyes were slightly open to match the slight smirk on his face.

"You can call me Ling, Lan Fan," he said quietly. "I expect you to wear your dress to tonight's Xingese festival." Lan Fan nodded slightly, face red and nonplussed. Ling turned and swiftly strode to the door. He stopped in the doorframe and grinned his once more childish and happy grin at the stunned girl. "You really do look beautiful." And with that, the emperor Xing exited the room. Lan Fan, as though in a daze, nodded at the door, and proceeded to get ready for the festival without further question.

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**Author's Note: TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY!? Looks like I'm becoming ****addicted! ^/^ Anyway, I've had this little guy finished for awhile now, and he was just _begging_ to be posted. So, here he is! ^O^ Hope you like this Ling X Lan Fan story about poor Lan Fan and her dress, and if you do, don't forget to review! Constructive criticism is WORSHIPED here! Anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! See ya soon! ^^**


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